Texas Texting Lawyer | Texting While Driving Still Legal in Texas

Texting While Driving Still Legal in Texas?

Texting while driving is still legal in many places Texas. On June 17, 2011, Texas Governor Rick Perry vetoed legislation that would've put into place a ban on texting while driving. Many other states have adopted these bands, due to the risk of accidents while driving distracted.

There are currently two major distracted driving laws in Texas. The first one prohibits drivers from using their cell phones in school crossing zones. This ban applies specifically to hand-held cell phones. The other distracted driving law affects teenagers and bans them from using text messaging devices and cellular phones when they are driving.

Distracted Driving

The reason that many other states adopted bans on texting while driving is the amount of accidents it causes. Distracted drivers can be every bit as dangerous as drunken drivers and, because of that, many legislatures have acted to put a ban on using text messaging devices while driving. Dallas has its own distracted driving laws.

If you're injured by somebody who is driving while distracted, there may not be a criminal penalty for the fact that they were driving distracted when they hit you. You may be able to file a lawsuit, however, and that may win you compensation for the damages that you suffered.

Is it Negligence?

Many lawsuits center on negligence. Negligence means that someone did not exercise the appropriate care to prevent someone else from coming to harm. In automobile crashes, negligent driving is oftentimes what lies behind any lawsuit. Accident attorneys represent clients who have suffered financial or physical harm, or both, because somebody else was negligent. If somebody was texting while driving or driving in an otherwise distracted manner, and if that person hurt you because of them not being aware of what was going on around them, you may wish to speak with an attorney.

Lawyers that represent people who are injured because of the actions of negligent drivers oftentimes work on a contingency basis. This means that you don't actually have to pay them any legal fees unless they manage to win you a settlement from the other driver or an award from a jury.

While driving and texting may not be illegal all over Texas, is certainly dangerous. If somebody injured you because they were driving while they were distracted, there's no reason that you should have to pay for all of the medical costs and other costs associated with the injuries.